Florida Gators land a 2017 commit after camp

Head Coach Jim McElwain and the Florida Gators already have 15 commits in the class of 2016 and they’re starting to build a pretty solid recruiting board for the class of 2017.

On Friday night, after the Gators football camp ended, receivers coach Kerry Dixon, offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and informed 2017 receiver Lavarus Tigner (6-0, 180, Deerfield Beach, FL High) that they were offering him a scholarship to join Florida.

It didn’t take long for Tigner to jump on the offer and he informed McElwain that he wanted to be the first 2017 commit for the Florida Gators.

“It’s a blessing because sometimes some people aren’t able to get the same thing I got,” Tigner said. “I just have to keep going and sooner rather than later I will be here and be a Florida Gator.”

When Tigner told McElwain that he wanted to commit the Gators head coach had a big smile on his face and gave Tigner a message to remember.

“I told coach Mac that I wanted to commit after he offered,” Tigner said. “He said we would love to have you and welcome to the family. When he offered me I was just shocked because it was an offer from the Florida Gators.”

Heading into camp on Friday night Tigner didn’t expect to get an offer from Florida, but once he did he knew where he wanted to be.

“I liked Miami some but I’m a Gator now because I’ve always been a fan,” Tigner said. “I really like their coaching staff and I think they are a good staff. I got to meet everyone during camp and they were showing me a lot of love.”

Deerfield Beach head coach Jevon Glenn wasn’t shocked to hear that Florida was offering Tigner because of his hard work.

“He’s a very talented player and a hard worker,” Glenn said. “He’s a guy that I may give him a call on a Sunday afternoon and he will pick up the phone and be in a mid workout at the park by himself. With that kind of work ethic the sky is the limit for him.”

Tigner is joined at the receiver position by receivers Cavin Ridley and 2017 receiver Jerry Jeudy and Glenn believes that has helped Tigner get better.

“They are very competitive and they feed off of it,” Glenn said. “Lavarius is a big receiver that has great size and great hands. He’s just tenacious as a player. His size and the way that he catches the ball so soft you can tell he can play. His competitive nature just oozes out of him as well.”

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Andrew,
    I haven’t commented in a while but where are the wide bodies we need to build the program around?
    Are they being recruited ? Are we still in the mix for the best talent or have the last four years diminished the GATORS brand to mediocrity?

    • The Gators brand is being built back up because it was lost under Muschamp. Florida is after some offensive linemen for sure and a few are planning to decide this summer.